Sharpen in "workflow options" and "Detail" tab

Question

how does the sharpen within workflow options relate to the sharpening applied within the detail pane?
Does one override the other or would the sharpening be additive?
thanks.

Answer 1

>I probably would never use the workflow settings, especially since they are not well defined settings, and I assume for "general" office work...
In my opinion, the workflow options for output sharpening in ACR are rather awkward to use. One advantage of parametric editing is that the edits are stored in the ACR database or in the XMP file in a compact form without the necessity of large and possibly multilayered TIFF files. After making the required edits, one has repurposable masterfile that can be used for derivative images.
However, when one uses the ACR output sharpening, the dimensions of the image and the resolution must be determined in advance. One then has an output file that is suitable only for printing that specific image, and repurposibility is lost.
Furthermore, the output sharpening in ACR requires the setting of the resolution in pixels per inch. When printing to a relatively large output size, one usually renders the image at the native resolution of the camera and then sets the image dimensions of the picture without resampling. In the ACR workflow one must manually calculate the needed output resolution from the intended output size in inches and the native resolution of the camera in pixels.
For example, if one is using a Nikon D3 camera with a resolution of 2832 x 4256 pixels and wants to print on super B paper with a short axis dimension 12.5 inches, it is necessary to predetermine the required resolution in pixels per inch by dividing 2832 by 12.5 to obtain the needed resolution of 227 pixels per inch. One enters this value in the ACR dialog box.The result is an image that is suitable only for printing at that size.
Personally, I would prefer to use ACR to make a repurposable masterfile which can later be resized and output sharpened as necessary. Currently, I use PKSharpener for this purpose.
It would be nice to be able to store several possible output options in the XMP file or database, and this is currently not possible. For example, one might want to store settings for 8 by 10 or 11 x 14 inch prints.